The new road to the Fajão do Calhau, in Água Retorta, in the island of São Miguel, has had a visible impact on the landscape of the area but does not threaten the endemic ecosystem in a significant manner.

This assurance was provided by the Regional Secretary for the Environment and the Sea today as he answered, via video-conference, to the questions posed by the Commission of Parliamentary Affairs, Environment and Labour of the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores. 

According to Álamo de Meneses, most of the vegetation that was dug out when the road was built is an invasive specie that destroys natural habitats. 
The Secretary said that despite this, nature will fill the area that was affected by the construction of the road with new vegetation.

He explained to the Members of Parliament that the cone formed in the coastal area by the land displaced by the construction of the new road will be minimised by its use as protective barrier of  new the road and by the coastal corrosion of the sea. 

Álamo de Meneses said that the existing road, close to the coast, which starts at Faial da terra, has two places where the danger of a landslide is eminent and that its closure is, therefore, recommended.

The Regional Secretary for the Environment and the Sea visited the site recently, accompanied by a geologist, to obtain information regarding the vicissitudes of the two roads.

On Friday, in Ponta Delgada,  the Parliamentary Commission also heard the Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Forestry, Noé Rodrigues.